This week I learned how to make cheese at Pedrozo Dairy and Cheese Co. in Orland, California. I have a  deepening respect for the cheese-making process, and for small, family-operated farms.  Mandy Johnston is the farmstead’s head cheesemaker and we were blown away by her wisdom. In such an operation, one has to be a botanist, a chemist, a biologist, and an artisan. And strong! We made 200 pounds of cheese in one afternoon. Mandy also knew every one of the farm’s cows by name, and individual character. I had a personal connection with a fine bovine named Grace. I also accomplished one of the things on my life list of accomplishments: Milk a Cow. Not so easy, as it turns out.